For many of us, The Kinks' history began with the fuzzed out chords of "You Really Got Me." The simplicity and power of the song was overwhelming--it would inspire Who guitarist Pete Townshend to write "I Can't Explain"--and from that moment on, the English band became indelibly etched into our minds.

Though they found success with that career-changing song, 'twas not always so. The band, led by singer/songwriter Ray Davies and brother Dave on guitar, had its share of failures before releasing that epic track.
Both brothers experienced a lot of turmoil in their youthful years, all reported
here.

Jovanovic is an excellent writer, and his reporting makes for one of the best books available on the band. He delves into their early history and the sibling rivalry that would soon surface. There were ups and downs both personally and musically, and the author traces every hill and valley with a keen eye. There are interviews here with band members, engineers, journalists and people who knew the band.

The Kinks stopped being a band in the mid-1990s, and God Save The Kinks chronicles that ending. They were important as any of the British Invasion acts; reading this will explain precisely why.